In the s, the proximity of Allan Gardens to the emerging queer community meant this legacy continued. Nov February 5,plain Policing Gay Sex in Toronto Parks in the s and and uniformed Toronto police officers, carrying crowbars and sledgehammers, raid four gay bathhouses, a culmination of a six-month undercover operation known as Operation Soap.
Holmes Nov Tom Hooper is a historian of queer Toronto in the s and s. It was not for no reason that the activist group to defend the men was called the Right to Privacy Committeethough it certainly broadened the notion of privacy well beyond its liberal and legal formulations.
Queer Progress: From Homophobia to Homonationalism. The fate of those charged in the recent arrests is still unknown, and there is concern that the police will continue or expand these undercover park operations against queers this coming summer. Tinder was created by a group Policing Gay Sex in Toronto Parks in the s and something friends working in a start-up incubator in California.
But other senior officers say that is "stretching" and arguably distorting the definition of community policing, and question whether it was proper for Supt. Last fall, members of the Toronto Police conducted a six-week undercover investigation in Marie Curtis Park called Project Marie, which concluded with 71 individuals cited for engaging in acts of consensual sex.
Often this took place in places like parks and washrooms.
The question is, are we ready to have it? Gays of Ottawa activist Yvon Thivierge witnessed the incident and was punched in the face by an arresting officer. They have been quick to point out that their operations in Marie Curtis Park are an effort to involve the local community in policing.
It is to say that there are multiple and conflicting claims over the shared use of public parks. Queers Crash the Beat are continuing this battle from the s, and they deserve our support. After these trials concluded in , the group formed a new organization called Gay Court Watch, with an expanded mandate to include anyone charged for having consensual sex, including in public parks.
The benches, trees, and bushes behind the greenhouse made for a popular spot in the s. A foggy Allan Gardens.